Michoacán highland city of avocado country, Cupatitzio springs, and the Paricutín lava-field excursion.
Uruapan sits in the lush highlands of Michoacán and proudly calls itself the avocado capital of the world — a title that is hard to argue with, given that the surrounding region produces a staggering share of Mexico's avocado crop. The city itself, home to about 300,000 people, is a pleasant surprise: the Parque Nacional Barranca del Cupatitzio, right at the edge of town, is a beautiful riverside park where the Cupatitzio River springs from the earth through mossy rocks and tropical vegetation. It is one of the loveliest urban parks in all of Mexico.
The real draw for many visitors, though, is the journey to Paricutín, the volcano that famously erupted in a farmer's cornfield in 1943 and buried the village of San Juan Parangaricutiro. You can still see the church tower poking through the hardened lava field — a haunting and unforgettable sight. Getting there requires a trip to the village of Angahuan and then a hike or horseback ride across the lava flows. Back in town, the Mercado de Antojitos is excellent for local food, and the lacquerware crafts sold in the market have been a Uruapan tradition for centuries.
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Eating Out
Uruapan has excellent Michoacán food centred on the Mercado de Antojitos at the main plaza, where stalls serve uchepos, corundas, carnitas, and chocolate atole at low prices. The carnitas tradition in Michoacán is its own art form — cooked slow in copper pots and sold by weight — and Uruapan has several dedicated carnitas restaurants around the market area that open from early morning until sold out.
La Lucha on the road through the national park is popular with locals for its weekend pozole and birria. For a more sit-down experience, several restaurants along Avenida Emilio Carranza serve regional dishes with a slightly more formal setting and slightly higher prices, though still very reasonable by any standard.
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Getting There
Uruapan has a small airport (UPN) with connections to Mexico City and Guadalajara. The more common approach is by bus — the ADO and ETN lines run comfortable coaches from Mexico City's TAPO terminal (about five hours), and there are frequent services from Guadalajara (around three and a half hours) and Morelia (under two hours). The main bus terminal is on the eastern edge of the city, a short taxi ride from the centre.
By car, Uruapan is reached via Highway 14 from Morelia, a scenic road through the Purépecha highlands. Coming from the coast, the road from Lázaro Cárdenas climbs dramatically from tropical lowlands to the highland plateau — spectacular driving with good visibility in the dry season, potentially foggy in the rainy months.
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Shopping
Uruapan is worth visiting for its lacquerware alone. The Purépecha maque tradition produces some of the finest decorative craft in Mexico, and prices here are considerably lower than in Mexico City or tourist-facing markets elsewhere in Michoacán. The Mercado de Artesanías on the main plaza has the widest selection, and the Casa de las Artesanías de Michoacán nearby stocks quality-screened pieces from across the state.
Fresh avocados and related products are unavoidable — this is the world capital of avocado production, and regional shops sell varieties you won't find anywhere else. For food shopping, the Mercado Trinidad Romero behind the main plaza sells local produce, chillies, herbs, and dried ingredients.
